March 10-14, 2026
A few hours west of Falling Water’s State Park I checked in to the New Orleans KOA Holiday for a four night stay. I have a good friend that lives in New Orleans and a friend that used to live in New Orleans so I was prepared with a long list of potential activities.
The KOA Holiday is near the airport and about 10 miles (30 minute drive) to the French Quarter. For my first day of exploring I drove to the French Quarter. The KOA gave mt driving directions that avoided I-10 and took me through suburban then urban New Orleans via St. Charles Ave. An Option, which I took the next day was the St Charles Street Car.
I parked in the heart of the French Quarter for ~$40.
Cafe Du Monde
First up a Beignet at Cafe Du Monde. There’s my sugar fix for the day.
They were excellent and certainly gave me my sugar fix for the day!
Jackson Square and St Louis Cathedral
Basically across the street is Jackson Square, site of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and the famous St Louis Cathedral. The Cathedral is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in the United States.
Bourbon Street
From there it was on to the famous Bourbon Street. Honestly, it is a street of never ending bars. I was there about noon and did not partake.
The National WW II Museum
This is an amazing museum. You could easily spend an entire day here. They offer multiple self guided itineraries the shortest of which I picked at 2 hours. It sill took me 3.
I did not take that many pictures. It was a bit crowded and there are tons and tons of exhibits covering the various campaigns of the war. I was surprised that the first exhibit was on the Merchant Marine service which is what my father had done.
After that just two more pictures.
After a late lunch I headed back to camp stopping a Care Forgot Beercraft for a local IPA (or two).
The Carousel Bar and Lounge
The Carousel Bar is a famous, historic revolving bar inside the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter. This day I drove half-way, parked for free, and took the St Charles Street Car downtown.
It was 11:30AM, the carousel was full and waiting for a seat. Although the menu did offer mocktails I am quite certain 95% plus of the patrons were drinking alcohol, including me – a tasty Mezcal Old Fashioned.
Meril
One of the foodie restaurants recommended was Meril. I went for lunch. The bartender recommended Barbequed Shrimp and a Pocket Bread for dipping into the sauce. He explained that Louisiana style BBQ shrimp isn’t barbequed at all but a classic New Orleans dish featuring shell-on shrimp sautéed or baked in a rich, buttery sauce of Worcestershire, lemon juice, garlic, and Creole spices. It is not actually barbecued but is served with crusty bread to dip into the sauce.
It was amazing.
As I’m eating I look up at the bourbon selections – I did not partake.
The Sazerac House
The Sazerac is a historic New Orleans cocktail, often considered America’s first, featuring rye whiskey or cognac, Peychaud’s bitters, sugar, and an absinthe rinse. The Sazerac Company, a major spirits producer owned by William Goldring and headquartered in Louisville, KY, owns premium brands like Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, and Southern Comfort. (credit google AI).
The Sazerac House is an active distillery (owned by the Sazerac). The house is a quick tour with a few tastings and store selling Sazerac’s brands.
The Mississippi
The next day I again took the St. Charles Street Car to downtown to get the obligatory picture of the Mississippi River. This is taken from the River Walk, not pretty but needed.
Herbsaint
And then another foodie lunch at Herbsaint. Chicken, Tasso, and Andouille Gumbo followed by Cornmeal Fried Oysters. Delicous.
I walked form Herbsaint to another craft brewery, Ecology, which was close to the St Charles Street Car. A nice IPA then the street car back to my car and home.
Here is a picture from the street car. I tried a video but can’t seem to upload it.
The next day I moved on to Texas.